Miss Mary Martha Crawford (35 page)

two nights and the weather hadn't been all that inclement, just

showery.

But what did it matter? It wasn't her worry' any more. What was her

worry was now lying in the study.

"There, miss; look, I've made a tray."

"Oh, thank you. Peg. By! you were quick."

"It was already half set for Master Roland."

She looked down at Peg. It was odd but of all those in the house,

apart from Aunt Sophie, she was going to miss Peg most of all.

Even more than Nancy?

When the question came at her she nodded to herself, Yes, if the truth were to be told, even more than Nancy. She couldn't understand why

this should be, but she knew it to be the truth.

Since she had nursed Peg back to health there had grown between them a dose affinity; perhaps because she was so small, so childlike, she had in an odd way clutched at her and put her in the place of a daughter, a waif daughter, because she needed a daughter. She needed a child and a husband. Oh yes, she needed a. What was the matter with her? Her mind was wandering again as it had done a lot of late. She was tired; in

all ways she was tired. There had been for a long time now a weariness growing on her. Nancy had forced her to fight it off for a time; then it seemed to be overwhelming her again; until today when, first, Roland dropped his bombshell and caused an explosion of anger in her that

brought her back into the stream of life again; and then, the anxiety and concern of the last few hours had upheld her. But now with relief flooding her she had the desire to drop where she stood, and she felt sure that if she were to lie down on the mat on the stone floor in

front of the fire she would fall asleep immediately and sleep for days and days . for ever, and never wake up. Oh no, that desire had gone; she wanted to wake up now, she wanted to live.

It was as the hour clock chimed three on the mantelpiece that she

awoke startled from a deep doze to see Doctor Pippin bending over the couch. When she had last looked at him he was asleep in the big

leather chair by the side of the fire; now he was holding Harry's arms, saying, "It's all right, man, it's all right. Lie still, don't

struggle. Go to sleep. It's me, you're all right. It's me, Doctor

Pippin. You know me, don't you? You should."

She was standing by John Pippin's side now and staring down at Harry.

His eyes were open but he still seemed too dazed to recognize them.

She listened to the old man's voice saying soothingly, "There now, there now. Quiet. Go to sleep. Do as you're told for once."

As she watched Harry's lids slowly droop she said softly, "He... he wasn't really conscious?"

"No, he's still in shock. But that'll pass. He'll sleep naturally now, and so can we." He turned her about and let her towards the chair opposite his own, saying, "Get what rest you can for you're going to have a few busy days ahead of you. Listen to that." He cocked his head on one side.

"It's still coming down whole water. Never ceased for the past twenty four hours. The roads will be like quagmires. He'll have to stay put I'm afraid. Will it be too much for you?"

"Oh no, no, not at all."

When he was seated and had pulled the rug over his knees she rose from the chair, stirred the fire into a blaze and put more logs on it, and as she did so he said softly, "I heard a strange tale in the town today. It concerned Miss Nancy. Is there any truth in it?"

"Yes, there is truth in it."

"So she's married young Robbie Robson ?"

"Yes, so I understand. The doctor brought me the news just before he was attacked."

"Well, well. I knew it was in the air, but I didn't think either of them could go through with it.... Are you very distressed?"

"No, doctor, not any more. A thing like that happens and you think it's the end of the world until something of more

import hits you. " She turned from the fire now as she said, " My brother came home today, Or' she gave a jerk of the head 'yesterday, and informed me that he also is going to be married. His future wife should be arriving . tomorrow . no, today. "

He bent so far forward that the rug slipped from his knees.

"But he was going to the university. I was under the impression that... well, you were seeing to it."

"Yes, yes, I was, doctor, but now he has decided to marry and' her voice dropped to a mere whisper 'his future wife is already planning to run this house as a school."

He said nothing, he just peered at her through the flickering

firelight, then grabbing the rug up around his knees and leaning back in the chair again, he sat for a moment longer in silence before

asking, "And what about you?"

"I'm leaving. I should have been gone later this morning had it not been' she turned her head now towards the couch 'for the doctor's

accident. But ... but I am more than willing to stay and look after

him until he can be conveyed back to his home."

"And what then? What do you intend doing once you leave here?"

"I'm going to look for a situation."

"As what? Governess?"

"Oh no, I... I am not qualified enough to be a governess. A nursery maid yes, but that doesn't attract me. But I hope the experience I

have had in running this house for the past six years will enable me to take up the post of housekeeper."

He mumbled something that sounded like, "God Almighty!" then he said aloud, "Does he know about this?" The jerk of his head indicated the sleeping form, and she answered after a moment, "Yes. When he called to give me the news about Nancy I ... I was greatly distressed and I told him the reason for my going."

She watched the old man now twist his body about and look straight at the couch; after which he turned back again, nodded his head, closed his eyes, and said, "Well, there's no doubt he'll be very grateful that you've decided to stay on

and attend to him until such time as he can make the journey back to the house. Of course, how he will show his gratitude is another matter because he's. a very unpredictable fellow. Oh yes, very

unpredictable.

I could venture to say he might buy you a diamond ring, or I could say he might just b? ,wl your head off; or he might do neither. But what I really feel he could do is to be the means of securing you a post

after your own heart. Yes. Yes, he could do that, if he'd let

himself. "

His voice had trailed away into silence and now he was apparently

asleep. Wide-eyed she lay and watched him.

A diamond ring, bawl my head off, or secure me a post after my own

heart. That would be as a housekeeper.

Judging from the tone in which he had said this, she didn't know

whether or not Doctor Pippin liked his assistant; that he should be

sitting up all night with him was no proof, doctors did that for all sorts of people.

She did not know what time it was or whether she was half asleep or

awake when she started upwards at the sound of Nancy calling her name from the hall. It was so loud that she could still hear the echo of it when she was standing on her feet.

Doctor Pippin hadn't stirred. She looked swiftly from him to Harry.

He was still lying in the same position, apparently in a deep sleep.

Swiftly now she tiptoed down the room and up the passage and into the hall. The lamp had been turned down, but she could see that the hall was quite empty; the door was closed, bolted. She looked towards the stairs. Roland and Aunt Sophie were up there but there was no sound.

Peg was in her room beyond the kitchen.

She drooped her head. She must have been dreaming, yet the voice had been so clear, with an appeal in it. It was the way Nancy used to call her name after she'd had words with Mildred.

"Martha Mary! Martha Mary!" She'd come running down the stairs and cry, "Do something!" It was that kind of an appeal that the call had held.

She walked slowly down the passage and into the room again. All sleep had gone from her and for a moment the dead feeling of weariness, for once again she had been alerted to life and the needs of those dear to her. Had Nancy actually called to her from that house? From that room wherein she would now have to spend a lifetime of nights with a man to whom she was in no way suited?

Her mind gave her no answer. Quietly she placed more wood on the fire, then sat down, pulled the blanket around her and waited for the dawn.

it was still raining the following morning at eleven o'clock when

Doctor Pippin, ready to take his departure, stood by the side of the couch and, looking down at Harry, said, "Well now, I must be off. You know your own treatment, doctor, don't you; and if you follow it you will be well enough to rise in a few days. But I'll be back long

before then, that's if I can make it through the mud, you understand?

This hired horse is not a patch on Bessie. Poor Bessie. How she made it home with that stab in her rump I'll never know. "

Harry didn't speak but he made a slow painful movement with his head.

Doctor Pippin now lifted the cape of his coat upwards around his chin, pulled on his gloves, looked towards the door where Roland was waiting, definitely chaffing with impatience, turned his gaze on Martha, who was standing to his side, and-said, "I'll leave him in your hands, Martha Mary! When he starts bawling you'll know he's better and ready for the road." He turned a twisted smile on Harry;

then his voice becoming serious, he said slowly, "There's one thing I'd like to know before I go, if you're not up to answering we can leave it, but I want the constabulary after those would-be murderers as soon as possible. Have you any idea who they were?"

Harry gazed up into the doctor's face. His mind was in a fog; he

couldn't recall anything about the attack except a faint recollection of looking into an open mouth that had the front teeth missing. He

screwed up his eyes against the pain of thinking, then his hand moving slowly up to his mouth, he muttered, "Nick Bailey, no teeth."

"Nick Bailey!" It was Martha who repeated the name; and then she murmured, "Oh no!"

"He was your outside boy?" Doctor Pippin was looking at her now, and she said, "Yes, doctor."

"Doctor Fuller had some trouble with him over some animals, cats I gather?"

"Yes, yes, he had."

"And so this was by way of retaliation."

The old man's face was grim as he looked down on Harry.

"All right, leave It to me, I'll see to it." He was about to turn away when Harry, his voice now more like his own, said, "Fred."

Doctor Pippin opened his mouth, closed it, glanced at Martha, then said tersely, "Don't worry about Fred, he's ... he's all right, just do what you're told, rest and get yourself out of that as soon as possible

because I need you. Do you hear?"

Harry made no sign, he just lay and watched the doctor and Martha leave the room.

In the hall Doctor Pippin looked at Martha and said quietly, "He mustn't know about the animal yet; he thought a great deal of that

dog.... Is he buried ?"

"Yes, I got Clan to do it early this morning."

"Good, good." The doctor, now glancing towards the stairs and nipping at his lower lip, said, "I should have a look at your Aunt Sophie while I'm here but..."

"Doctor--' Roland's voice brought his head sharply round 'the journey back is going to be difficult, it may take much longer than

anticipated, and I have to meet a train. We shouldn't waste any more time."

The tone and the words were a command and the doctor cast a look on

Roland that caused him to turn away towards the door; then speaking to Martha again and his words unhurried, and his tone subdued but loud

enough to carry to Roland who was how descending the steps, he said,

"Well, my dear, expect me in a day or two; although as I said, it all depends on the weather. But should it prevent me from coming out I'm sure it won't prevent Doctor Fuller from

returning as soon as he's steady on his legs, nor you from coming into town to take up your new position. "

Martha did not reply to this; she imagined the doctor was taking it for granted that she would get a position in Hexham. What she did notice was that his words checked Roland on the third step and brought him

round to look up at her, but she avoided his eye, bid the doctor

goodbye, closed the door on the driving rain and stood for a moment

breathing deeply as she looked around the dim hall.

Never before had the hall and stairway appeared to her as shabby. She had the odd sensation she was seeing it, really seeing it for the first time. The worn turkey carpet lying in the middle of the flagged floor, the grey uneven flag stones surrounding it, the green embossed

wallpaper faded to a dirty grey, th blanket chest looking like a

coffin; and the china cabinet in the recess full of her mother's

collection of china appeared from this distance nothing but a jumble of odd pieces of crockery. Her eyes lifted to the bare oak stairs leading to the landing. Up there was the same shabbiness in all the rooms,

except that which had been her father's and which Peg had hastily

prepared for the coming guest. Coming guest. Was that the reason why she was seeing the house as it really was, because this is how a

stranger would see it? And what would Roland's future wife think of

the dining-room and its meagre fare? She herself would have to prepare some food for them all. Under ordinary circumstances she would have

gone out of her way to lay on a good meal, but tonight the honoured

guest would, like the rest of them, have to savour the remains of

yesterday's meal, which was stewed mutton, with an apple and blackberry pie to follow.

As she was about to cross the hall. Peg appeared at the top of the

stairs carrying a tray and she spoke to her as she descended, saying,

"She hasn't eaten half her breakfast, Miss Martha Mary, she's gone right off her food. As I've said before, she's still got plenty of fat on her to keep her goin', but at one time she was always ready for her food, wasn't she?"